From Publishers Weekly
Shulman and Bowen (respectively, coauthor of and collaborator on The Shape of the River: Long-Term Consequences of Considering Race in College and University Admissions) examine the relationship between college athletics and later achievement among male and female student athletes at 30 colleges and universities in this well-researched, impressively broad and thorough study. The schools are all academically selective, but compete athletically at widely varying levels, ranging from division 1A powerhouses to small conferences of liberal arts and women's colleges. Using the same database they created for their previous book, Shulman and Bowen look at college athletes who enrolled in 1951 ("thought of by some as `the good old days' "), 1976 (after enrollment compositions changed because of the civil rights movement and increases in coeducation) and 1989 (the most recent year for which they could collect data tracing the students' college years through their early careers), identifying trends, noting changes and examining differences in the college and post-college experiences of male and female athletes. The authors identify a set of character traits common to most athletes no matter what sport they play, and present a great deal of data countering conventional myths about college sports. Additionally, Shulman and Bowen offer suggestions about how college athletics could be better run. The book presents a lot of interesting data that contradicts the conventional myths about college sports. (Athletes graduate at a higher rate than students at large; even at the big-time programs, college sports are likely to lose money for their schools.) Anyone connected to college athletics--from coaches and admissions officials to trustees--will find much of interest here. (Feb.)Forecast: Despite its textbook-like style and overwhelming detail, this volume is bound to reach large audiences, as it's been the subject of articles in the New Yorker and the New York Times, and featured on NPR.
Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.
--Ce texte fait référence à une édition épuisée ou non disponible de ce titre.From Library Journal
Shulman is the financial and administrative officer of the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation and director of the foundation's College and Beyond research program. Bowen is president of the foundation and formerly president of Princeton University. Here they argue persuasively that intercollegiate athletic programs have become thoroughly institutionalized and that to combat this trend the links between athletics and the educational missions of American universities must be strengthened. Pointing to a dramatic shift in the way college sports are affecting the admission, education, and future lives of all students, the authors note that recruited athletes have a much greater admissions advantage than minority students and alumni children. The result is the formation of a separate athlete subculture in which the athletes socialize and share the same career goals while simultaneously developing the propensity for academic underperformance. Shulman and Bowen urge colleges and universities to find a way to integrate the positive aspects of athletics into their educational missions and to strengthen their role in shaping "the game of life" on college campuses. Recommended for academic libraries. Samuel T. Huang, Univ. of Arizona Lib., Tucson
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc. --Ce texte fait référence à une édition épuisée ou non disponible de ce titre.
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc. --Ce texte fait référence à une édition épuisée ou non disponible de ce titre.
